The recent trend in miniaturizing integrated circuits (ICs) has resulted in smaller devices which consume less power yet provide more functionality at higher speeds. However, the miniaturization process has also resulted in stricter design and manufacturing specifications as well as reliability challenges. For one or more of these advantages to be realized, various developments in IC design and/or manufacture are considered. Stress Migration (SM) is a failure mechanism that occurs in integrated circuit metallization from the formation of voids between grain boundaries. As IC's are further reduced in size, new SM failure modes in interconnect structures are discovered affecting IC performance and/or reliability.